2015 is under way, and I hope it has been a great year so far. That also means that we should be taking steps towards the goals that we put down for ourselves when that ball dropped and the clock struck midnight. But, unfortunately, history tells us that people will start to abandon their goals they were so gung-ho about in the beginning of January, if they haven’t done so already. Take a look at yourself, where do you stand? Ask your friends where they stand. Better yet, look at all of the gyms that get a huge surge of people at the beginning of the year, are all those new faces still there pushing forward? With each day that goes by, marks another person that decided to give up on what they wanted. I even had someone tell me that they signed up to a gym and haven't been back to the gym since then. Why do we give up so easily on what we say we want so badly? Here are a few reasons:

1. Your goals are not detailed enough

Most people just say, “I want to lose weight”, “I want to get in shape”, or “I want to be healthier”. These are all very vague statements and do not hold any value or sense of urgency to them. A better way to state your goals would be, “I want to lose 10 pounds in 3 months so I can feel better about myself by summer time”. Every goal should be a S.M.A.R.T. goal. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound. If your goals are stated in this fashion, chances of achieving them go through the roof.

2. You didn't establish a plan

If you just say, “I want” and never look at how you are going to get there, you start to scramble and do what you think is going to help you get there. You know what they say, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. A good way to create your plan is to look at the journey and visualize yourself getting there. For example, if you want to run your first 5K, you will need to start by doing a few things. You will need to have the proper footwear, research a race and sign up for it, look at the possibility of hiring a running coach, map out your running days and distances along with recovery days, etc. With a game plan in place, you’ve created a step-by-step outline of success for yourself. Now all you have to do is follow it and stay the course.

3. You lack motivation

You dropped the goal because the motivation to achieve it has decreased. What you failed to do is identify your “why”. If your “why” is big and strong enough then you will keep going despite the struggles that might come your way. You may want to achieve something for your kids. Maybe you had a horrible, life-altering experience or you just hit rock bottom. Those “whys”, definitely keep a fire lit under your butt. But what’s yours? Do you know? Take a seat and figure out why you want what you want.

4. You set too many goals

The problem with having an extremely large list of goals is that you tend to treat them all the same. Having a lot of goals is great, but you put too many targets out there, the chances of trying to hit them all at once is not great. But, if you prioritize them, the chances have increased that you will get there. Create a goal hierarchy. You can look at breaking them down into short term versus long term, daily versus weekly versus monthly versus quarterly versus yearly. Break them down into whatever criteria works best for you to follow. Let’s face it, we all have a limited amount of time and we must use it wisely so we can achieve all that we want.

5. You have the wrong circle of influence

Do not, do not, do not, put yourself around the people who do not want the same things you. Eventually you or they will take you off course. This may be a tough thing to do and there are always exceptions to the rule, but this is something you have to look at to be successful. Like-minded people will push you to get you to where you want to be. Just when you feel like giving up, they will be the ones that will help you get your mind right and keep you going.

If you have lost your way, as we all do sometimes, first, know that it is okay. You just have to take a step back, reassess your goals, create a game plan and hierarchy, find what motivates you and start to surround yourself with the right people and let them know what you’re trying to achieve. I wish you all the best in 2015. Anything can be achieved; you just have to have a relentless attitude to get there.